


At Least We Have Each Other

by Titanb00ty



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Grumpy Old Men, M/M, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-06
Updated: 2014-02-06
Packaged: 2018-01-11 09:29:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1171451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titanb00ty/pseuds/Titanb00ty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi and Erwin are old men, like, really old. And they love each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At Least We Have Each Other

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick one-off based on this prompt: http://komlin.tumblr.com/post/74223793529/eruri-as-actual-old-men-sleeping-in-a-bed-together
> 
> (don't look at it 'til the end unless you want spoilers)

Everyone loves autumn. Crunchy leaves swirling underfoot, bundled scarves keeping out the cold, mugs of hot drinks touching lips, couples huddling together for warmth. But autumn is a season for the young and vibrant. For Levi, autumn is a season of sleeping in until the day warms up, five layers of sweaters draped over old bones, and joints creaking with every step and movement.  

At the moment, he is rocking in a chair on the porch with a blanket spread across his legs. A mother and two children are walking by on the sidewalk in front of his perfectly maintained yard. Ok, so the hedges are a little overgrown, but it’s hard to keep up on these things when you’re 86 years old. He makes a mental note to call Eren’s grandkid about that later. He does a shitty job, but it’s better than this mess.

Anyway, the children are walking about ten feet in front of their mother, and they just happen to get into a fight on the three feet of sidewalk visible from the front porch.

“Give it baaaaack!” One screams.

“No. I’m playing with it first.” The other taunts.

“Shitty, brats.” Levi mutters.

He feels a hand on his thigh and looks up at the person connected to it.

“You’re as bad as them.” Erwin teases. One corner of his mouth turns up and the laugh lines deepen.

“Tch.”

Levi shivers and brings his hands up to his mouth to blow hot air into them.

“Let’s go inside.” Erwin offers his hand to Levi.

In his younger days Levi would’ve refused it, but he’s a bit too old now to reject help when he needs it.

Leaning on Erwin’s arm for support, they manage to hobble through the doorway. They make their way to the living room and hover over the couch until their bottoms find the cushion. Levi immediately rests his head on the back of the couch and closes his eyes. It’s been a long day of shuffling around, moving from chair to chair, and dealing with brats making too much noise. They’re both worn out. Levi feels a blanket brush against his chin and feels a layer of warmth when it is placed over his frail body. Erwin slips his wrinkled hand into Levi’s, having effectively covered them both with a thin cover, and they sit in silence.

“Remember when we met?” A low voice, barely above a whisper, makes its way to Erwin’s lips.

Levi fidgets under the blanket.

“Of course I do. I’m not that old.”

“What like me?”

Levi doesn’t open his eyes, but he knows Erwin is smiling at him. Not the same smile that made him fall in love with him; a more familiar one, fashioned just for Levi, but with less teeth. Erwin has been in love with Levi for a long time, and has known him for even longer. He knows that when Levi isn’t talking it doesn’t mean he isn’t thinking. But it also doesn’t mean he is eventually going to say something.

“Your tight little ass bobbing up and down while straddling that thoroughbred running 70 km/h down the race track. I was immediately attracted to your talent. I had to have you.”

“Don’t be vulgar.” Levi arched one eyebrow and opened a lid to side-eye Erwin.

Erwin smirked down at Levi and pressed his forehead to the smaller man’s. His grasp on Levi’s hand tightened, and Levi returned the favor with as much strength as he could manage. Levi may not be the most affectionate lover, but Erwin knew when to appreciate the little things.

“You were the best jockey in the county, so I had to check you out. From a breeder’s perspective, that is. Once I saw you in action I had to have you riding one of mine.”

Levi shuffled underneath the cover again, and Erwin removed his forehead to be sure that Levi was comfortable.

“Are you okay, do you need anything?” Erwin asks in concern for Levi’s back, which had been giving him problems. For about ten years actually, but Erwin never ceased to ensure Levi’s wellbeing.

“I’m fine.”

Erwin knew he wasn’t.

“Is there a point to all this?” Levi continued.

Erwin rubbed his thumb across the pale skin of Levi’s finger. His hands had always been smooth and clean, which preserved them quite nicely in old age. They weren’t like Erwin’s, which were rough and calloused, and damaged from the sun. Levi’s hands were one of his greatest features, and Erwin treasured them. He brought the palm up gently to his lips and placed a kiss in the center.

“I just love you, is all.”

“Go back to being vulgar.” Levi mocked.

Erwin chuckled and then coughed at Levi’s response. He knew Levi didn’t mean it, and he was proven right when Levi leaned against Erwin and rested his head on the weak, but broad shoulder. It didn’t make as good of a pillow as it once did, but Levi didn’t mind. Both of their bodies were worn down and beaten; joints creaking and muscles shaking. But they loved each other just as much as they did fifty years ago when they were strong and lean. Levi’s jockey days were catching up with him, finally; years spent hunched over on a jolting machine of pure muscle hadn’t done wonders for his health. Erwin brought a fist to his mouth to cover his coughing and Levi rubbed his chest soothingly. The fit ended and Erwin brought his arm around Levi, drawing him in closer. The blanket had slipped down a little, but the warmth from exchanged body heat seemed to be enough for now.

“I’m tired.” Levi sighed.

Erwin glanced at the clock above the TV.

“It’s only 6:30.”

“You know what I mean.”

Erwin hummed in acknowledgement.

“We’ve been alive too long. Everyone we knew is old now too, and everyone older than us is dead. We sit here in our old house with our old things, remembering our old lives. None of it really means anything in the end. We’ll pass just like those before us, and no one will speak our names in twenty years. We’re like antiques put away on the far corner of a shelf forgotten.”

Levi finished his long winded tirade on memories, the meaning of life; the meaning of death. Erwin waited for the kicker, the words that Levi had been meaning to say this whole time, but had been working his way up to.

“But, at least we have each other.” Levi said at last.

There is was. This was how Levi said ‘I love you’. When he smiled just for Erwin, when he let Erwin kiss his hand or run it through his white hair. When he said ‘we have each other’, ‘thank you’, ‘I need you’, he was telling Erwin that he loved him. After all these years, Erwin didn’t need the actual words, Levi’s appreciation meant just as much. Knowing that Erwin read into his statement, Levi shifted before anything could be said. Erwin knew better than to push his luck.

“I’ll make some tea and we’ll go to bed.” A kiss was placed on the top of Levi’s head.

“I can’t.” Levi said after a few moments, his hand ceasing movement on Erwin’s chest.

Erwin’s stomach tightened a little when he heard those words. That was a lot for Levi to admit, which meant he must be in a fair amount of pain. Without another word Erwin arched his back over Levi’s body and snaked his arm beneath his knobby legs. Levi wrapped his arms around Erwin’s neck as his delicate body was lifted from the couch, the blanket slipping silently to the floor. Erwin grunted, and struggled to lift Levi off the couch, his knees straining from the pressure. But there was still some strength left in those old muscles, and he managed to carry Levi down the hallway and into the bedroom before placing him gently onto the bed. Levi curled into a ball as much as his body would allow, so that Erwin could bring up the quilt he was laying on. He looked up to Erwin with thanks in his eyes, and Erwin placed a kiss on his forehead in acceptance.

“I’ll be right back.”

Erwin shuffled slowly from the room and into the kitchen where he set the electric kettle up for tea. He and Levi had no intention of pretending to be old fashioned. Electric was easier than stove top, and produced better results than the microwave. Simple as that. Levi was all about efficiency. However, the microwave was perfect for nuking heating pads, and Erwin proceeded to prepare one for Levi’s back.

One cup each would be enough, if they could even stay awake long enough to finish that much. He carried the cups filled with tea on a tray to the bedroom, the heating pad slung over his shoulder. He was older than Levi, but he had somehow managed to stay in better health; other than his right arm, which he injured about forty years ago, and had never quite healed correctly. The heat felt good on his shoulder. He set the tray down and sat on the edge of Levi’s side of the bed.

“Don’t sit up.” Erwin ordered.

He lifted Levi up a little to place the heating pad under his back.

“Don’t you need it for your arm?”

There it is. Another ‘I love you’.

“You need it more than I do.”

‘I love you too’.

Erwin blew on the tea to cool it down, and then brought it to Levi’s lips. Levi managed to convince Erwin to let him hold his own goddamn tea, and Erwin eventually agreed. Couldn’t ask for much more than that, he guessed. Erwin rested his hand on Levi’s hip as they sat in silence and drank their tea. Levi’s grip on the tea cup loosened a little and Erwin removed it from his hands, placing it on the tray.

He got up and scuttled to his side of the bed, which had always been the one closest to the window. They never decided that, it had just always been that way. He pulled the covers up to his chin, making sure that they also reached Levi’s. He positioned his hand in the crook of Levi’s waist, keeping the approximate one foot of space between them, because he knew Levi didn’t like to cuddle. His eyes grew heavy and he was about to nod off when Levi whispered something. He couldn’t quite hear what it was.

“Hmm?” Erwin questioned with a hum. “What is it?”

Erwin was about to give up and focus on sleep when Levi spoke again. This time a little louder.

“I’m cold.”

Erwin brings the blanket up a little further past Levi’s chin.

“Should I get another blanket?” Erwin moves to get up from the bed.

“Hold me.” Levi asks, barely above a whisper.

Erwin takes a moment to make sure he heard correctly.

Then he does as Levi asks.

Levi immediately feels Erwin’s heat spread across his back and into his legs. An arm drapes across his body, pinning him against Erwin’s chest. Erwin nuzzles his face into Levi’s silver hair, it tickles his nose. Levi snuggles into the warmth, but he still feels cold.

“Erwin.”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you. For everything.”

“Mmm.”

Erwin is happy to hold Levi in his arms, the space usually between them is now long forgotten. This feels just as natural. They drift to sleep quickly, ignoring the pain in their tattered bodies.

 

*

 

Erwin feels a chill in the air as his mind awakens and his eyes open into the bright sunlight streaming through the window. His body feels achy and heavy with sleep. He wants to stretch, but Levi is still curled up in his arms. He smiles and brings his face to his neck.

It’s cold.

He brings his hand up from Levi’s chest and smoothes it across Levi’s pale cheek.

There is no color. No heat.

He lifts his body up over Levi to inspect his lover’s face. His eyes are closed, peaceful. His lips are parted, but no breath escapes them. Erwin cannot support his own weight any longer and he falls onto Levi’s body, wrapping his arms around the frail frame. Choked sobs struggle to escape his throat, but only harsh whines emerge. Tears form in his crinkled eyes and they overflow instantly, wetting Levi’s cheeks where they fall.

Abandoned teacups left half empty rest on the tray beside the table. Soggy tea bags perch on the edge, now cool from sitting out all night. Birds chirp outside the window.

Erwin Smith feels more alone than he has ever felt in his long life.

 

Levi is gone.

 


End file.
